– Sheepstealer, A Notably Ugly “mud Brown” Dragon Hatched When The Old King Was Still Young, Had

(Some silly headcanons about Mortalitasi and Nevarran traditions that ended up leading me to Emmrich. How typical.)

We don't actually know all that much about Nevarra and their customs. World of Thedas and some of the in-game codex tells us some key points: strong royal families, a rich history of dragon hunting, an elite group of mages rumored to be heavily involved in makings of the country, and, of course, the thing that this country is most famous for - the fascination with the dead.

Our very own Nevarran companion mentions a couple of things about her home country:

And even though she doesn't seem fond of Mortalitasi practices or Nevarran customs surrounding the dead, she admits that some stories that pervade the South are greatly exaggerated:

(I feel so called out)

This makes me think that this interest in the dead is still a personal choice. I doubt that an average Nevarran is obsessed with those rituals any more than an average person from Ferelden is with theirs - those are just a part of their traditions that obviously affect their lives in unique ways, but that is all.

Now, Nevarran nobility are a different matter. They are said to start the construction of their tombs very early in life - lavishly decorated palaces with gardens, ballrooms and bathhouses. A sign of power and wealth for them, and that I can believe.

But when it comes to Mortalitasi, do they, in general, care as much? Do they take all these things, all these rituals, to extreme somehow, professional pride and all?

How much would a Mortalitasi care about their own tomb? Would Mortalitasi friends and colleagues ever promise to lead the other's ceremony depending on who dies first? "Oh, I'll totally mummify you if you're the one to go first, don't you worry, I know you think that Markus is getting sloppy".

The coffin sharing is also not unheard of (the spouses from The Flame Eternal), and I wonder if it's ever used as a grand gesture - to ask someone to be placed in the same tomb?

(And just imagine how messy this could get, the way people are. Building a tomb together only to have a falling out, what are you even supposed to do after that?)

Would it be romantic then, to tell your significant other that you don't want to ever part from them, even in death?

Beacause imagine Emmrich writing a quick letter to his friend from the Mourn Watch (Johanna, if they are still friends after all these years, or Myrna), "doing fine, on a saving the world business trip, will be back when I can; could I trouble you with a favor - a bigger coffin, installed in my tomb, not urgent, just whenever you have the time."

When the reply comes and his friend is (obviously) asking for a reason for such a sudden change, he just looks at Rook from the corner of his eye and replies with "no particular reason, just felt like it."

Shianni and Soris, in response to Tabris’ ideas:

Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon

Warden Mahariel. Champion of Kirkwall. Inquisitor Lavellan.

The hands of our heroes.

Sketches of some of the new companions!!

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON (2022-) 02x04 | 02x06

✦ GALADRIEL & ELROND ✦ LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER S2E1 "Elven Kings Under the Sky"

House of the Dragon "You must prevail." "And who pays the price?"

We've talked about Ghilan'nain and her monster making experiments.

And I saw a post somewhere about how the Dalish consider the halla "brothers and sisters" to the clan, and what if that is actually literal? Like, Ghilan'nain experimented on elves to make the halla?

And while that is horrifying, I want to point out the concept art for the varterral.

That torso certainly looks like it might have once been a fucking person to me!

Let me just drop my new gif here.

...